CARE Conference to tackle challenges

Carpet America Recovery Effort (CARE) will meet in Wesley Chapel, Fla., for its 11th Annual Conference, April 24-26. The organization has much to be proud of and while recognizing its accomplishments, it also acknowledges there is much to do and challenges to address.

Established in 2002, CARE represents the carpet industry and is dedicated to finding market-based solutions for keeping used carpet out of landfills. In September, Bob Peoples returned as executive director of CARE.

CARE’s agenda is full. In mid-March, CARE was preparing the 2012 Fourth Quarter review for Cal Recycle, the CARE Annual Survey, the 2012 CARE Annual Report, planning for the Annual Meeting in April and working on the final plan due to Cal Recycle by the end of May.

In order to continue to spearhead carpet recycling efforts effectively, CARE will need help. “Right now, CARE is a small organization with limited resources,” Peoples noted. “We have benefited greatly by getting our board members involved, but it’s a constant challenge to keep CARE moving forward with so many moving parts demanding attention.”

CARE now numbers 80 certified recyclers and another 20 processors of PCC, making up national network to facilitate carpet recycling. “We’re looking at big shifts and trends in carpet recycling,” Peoples said. “Some of the factors are influenced by the macro economic climate and how it affects small businesses everywhere.”

Peoples pointed out that as the housing market rebounds, more new carpet is being sold which will eventually be available for recycling. But when plastic markets are down, prices soften, making it harder for recyclers to make money. “CARE is working with entrepreneurs to find and develop new market outlets for PCC derived materials,” he added.

The challenge of finding viable markets for used polyester (PET) carpet is still unanswered. Peoples said, “We do have good leads and new technologies are being developed that have a lot of potential, but the shift to PET face fiber continues, which has escalated the urgency to find solutions.”

Considering the investment necessary to process PCC, it is critical to establish a steady stream of PCC to keep the machines running. Recyclers have arrangements with big box retailers, but there is a need to reach out to small stores to collect their PCC as well, Peoples noted. A lot of residential used carpet is now sent to a landfill or left curbside. Carpet should be kept out of the waste stream and collected for recycling, but collection can be problematic. “The low hanging fruit of used carpet sources are all being taken. We need more creative ways to acquire materials,” Peoples added.

And, Peoples said, CARE’s single biggest wish is that people see the wonderful leadership that has emerged from the carpet industry and join the effort. “The mills have invested more than $100 million and the recyclers have put in 10s of millions of dollars to set up the recycling process. If the entire carpet chain can pull together, we will continue to divert more and more PCC from landfills and channel the materials into economically viable after markets.”

Though CARE faces the challenges of market shifts and the economy, Peoples said that carpet recycling has indeed come a long way in a short time. “When CARE started, the notion of recycling carpet into other products was relatively new and only being pursued by a few manufacturers such as Interface, Tandus and the Los Angeles Fiber Company. Now, according to CARE’s 2011 annual report, almost 30 percent of recycled carpet is going back into face fiber and carpet backings,” Peoples reported.

Another major accomplishment is CARE’s work as the stewardship organization for California’s AB2398 carpet recycling law. CARE worked in formulating the 2011 law, which seeks to divert carpet from landfills by encouraging the creation of new products from PCC with payments to processors for innovations generated by a charge of 5 cents per square yard of carpet that is shipped into and/or sold in California. CARE is responsible for managing the program. AB2398 seems to be working as the rates are up for diversion of carpet from landfills and outputs for recyclers there, according to Peoples.

There are other states looking at the California program as a model. Peoples explained that Minnesota is considering similar legislation that could go into effect as early as January 2014. The Minnesota law would govern how to dispose of carpet, paint and batteries, so carpet may not be the first product to be regulated. The carpet industry will be engaged with Minnesota going forward and, presumably, if proposal becomes law, CARE would have the same role (as a steward for the program) as it does in California.

“It is important to keep in mind that California is an unfinished experiment and we are learning more every quarter,” Peoples noted. “For instance, there are variations in collections (volumes) from quarter to quarter tied to the selling season. And we are conducting a rural pilot program to see how best to collect used carpet outside cities,” Peoples said.